Victoria opens all COVID vaccines to over 60s

PEOPLE aged over sixty will be able to get any COVID-19 vaccine, including Pfizer and Moderna, at all of the the state’s vaccination hubs.

Health Minister Martin Foley said there was now enough vaccine supply in Victoria to open up all vaccines to all ages that are eligible.

“This change, which is now in effect, has been made possible by the relative certainty we now have for both Moderna and Pfizer, and the extraordinary number of young people who have come forward over the past three and a half weeks,” he said.

Previously people aged over 60 were only able to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine at state hubs.

As of yesterday, 86 per cent of Victorians aged over 16 had received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, including 93 per cent of people aged over 50.

The state recorded 1612 new COVID-19 cases and eight deaths today.

There are now more than 19,000 active infections, and the death toll from this outbreak is 93.

Today also signals the first day regional areas will begin trialling a system to check the vaccination status of people wanting to visit a business.

The system will be used in Melbourne once lockdown lifts and businesses can reopen, with 14 regional venues participating in the trial, including gyms, pubs, cafes, churches, real estate agents, movie theatres and beauticians.

Patrons will be asked to show they are fully vaccinated by displaying a digital certificate via the Services Victoria app, Medicare app or smartphone wallet.

As of 10am on Monday, more than 50,000 people had successfully connected their vaccination certificates to their Service Victoria app.

More than 4300 people were added to the app within 10 minutes when demand hit a peak between 9.30am and 9.40am, a State Government spokesperson said.

A printed version of the certificate or immunisation history statement can also be used as proof, or the patron will need to show evidence of a valid exemption.

The trials will test the vaccine certification technology and train staff and business owners on how to communicate vaccine requirements to patrons.

If successful, the system will be scaled up so double-vaccinated Victorians can attend the Melbourne Cup and live music within weeks.

– BY AAP